July 31, 2015
Day 2 - Nanaimo to Shawinigan Lake: Ah yes, we really should have started earlier, my dear!
After such a lovely sleep in, we got up around 8am and went down for breakfast. Such a civilized was to start the day, don't you think? Yes, we did too, until we checked out at 9:30. The fellow at the front desk asked where we were headed and then commented it was supposed to be the hottest day so far - oh no!
Leaving Nanaimo, we headed south on Cedar Road, with a short stint on the highway (less then a km). We have come this way several times while taking a different ferry, so the ground was familiar. Once we passed over into new territory, the scenery became very rural. Lots of fields, trees and bird song, which we really enjoyed. Although there were also lots of hills, they were pretty doable and, of course, allowed for nice downhill coasting. The trees provided shade for quite a bit of the morning, and if the road had only had a nice shoulder, it would have been perfect. As it was, riding on very narrow shoulders, along a fairly busy road made for some uncomfortable moments.
Once out of this part of the ride down, we had to travel on the highway until the town of Ladysmith. Although there was a very nice, wide shoulder, the constant traffic whizzing past was kind of exhausting. Also, gone were those lovely trees protecting us from the now, hot sun.
When we reached Ladysmith, our goal was to find a place for iced coffee. There is a terrific bakery in town, but getting to it entailed, yep, another hill! We had a look and decided it was worth the ride up, and wow, was it ever! Despite their not serving iced coffee, we enjoyed our giant chocolate/pecan cinnamon bun immensely.
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From Ladysmith, we got off the highway onto Chemainus Road, which took us along some very pretty waterfront to the town of Chemainus, which is known for their murals. We found a spot that served iced coffees and then stopped in the main town to grab a few pics. Poor Jim had the only accident of our trip at this point, trying to turn off the road, he hit a lip and over he went! A few scratches and a bruised ego, but he took it well!
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However, the coolest thing we saw in Chemainus came as we were heading out of town. This old abandoned gas station totally covered in ivy - looked like a great place to stop!
Leaving Chemainus, is was getting towards midday and pretty warm. We were doing well until I made a big strategic error in our route planning. I used Google to map out the route without checking elevations, and of course, halfway between Chemainus and Duncan we turned off a lovely winding road to Bell McKinnon Road, which was a long, long and very steep hill! In the sun! At the hottest part of the day!! Needless to say, I needed to take several breaks and ended up walking the last part of the hill on the shady wrong side of the road while Jim just motored up, no problem.
By the time we reached Duncan, I was hot, tired, sweaty, and just a little grumpy. A good time to take a break and find some lunch, which we did.
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As the day was getting late, we decided to leave the lovely country roads and ride on the highway for a few km to the turnoff for Shawinigan Lake, our stop for this day. What kept us going was the knowledge that my daughter and her boyfriend, Matt, had some cold beers just waiting for us, and after tackling a few more hills, we arrived!
Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 155 km (96 miles)
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